Both stepdancing and fiddling have a large place in traditional Ottawa Valley culture. Previously, I've mentioned and shown clips of both. but we had never attended the Pakenham Fiddle and Stepdance Competition before. So we remedied that this past weekend.
All ages came from all around the province for the event. It must be nice, especially for the younger set, to get together with peers of similar interest and talent. Let's face it, this is a subculture that exists way under the radar of popular culture, so it must be helpful for the kids to know they're not alone, particularly those who come from an urban area such as Toronto.
In any event, a grand time was had by all. At the conclusion, around 11:30 Saturday night, the fiddlers and stepdancers who remained in the hall congregated on stage for an impromptu performance. The fiddlers are lost in the background, but the following short clip shows the stepdancers doing their thing. I'm glad we stayed for the finale. It always amazes me how both fiddlers and stepdancers can put on such a show without any preparation.
I had no idea step dancing was so popular in the Ottawa Valley. I keep thinking of it as an East Coast phenomena.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see it alive and (can I say it) kicking!
AC--you are one lively senior, aren't you. Was that you I spotted up on stage? ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat looks like what we call clogging. You were clogging too weren't you?
ReplyDeleteQMM
It looks like great fun, especially if you have young joints, my old pins wouldn't cope with more than a few minutes.
ReplyDeleteMy mom MADE me take highland dancing when I was a kid. I bemoaned it. I wish I'd kept it up.
ReplyDeleteGreat finale.